Digital Cube - put an end to cubeful backgammon gambling misery

[mu...@compuplus.net]

Previously, I wrote about how to make backgammon more of a gambling game by suggesting that players should be allowed to raise the stakes (the value of the cube) by any arbitrary amount like in poker, instead of just by powers of two.

Raising the cube by not just two fold but say by ten fold, fifty fold, etc. would surely increase the adrenaline

flows. I had even joked that we may start seeing cowboys play backgammon instead of poker in fettuccine westerns... :)

Interestingly, it would at the same time make cubeful backgammon more a game of skill by also allowing more precise cube handling. For example, the cube going from 2 to 4 or from 8 to 16 may not be a double and/or a take, but it going from 2 to 3 or 8 to 13 would be double and/or a take...!

Previously, I also suggested that the player not owning the cube should be allowed to trigger cube actions, as long as the cube owner is compensated for the value of his cube ownership.

This would not only encourage the occurrence of cube actions/transactions, (somewhat similar to Jacoby rule) but again also "forcefully" require more precise skill in cube handling...!

Now it's time to pop the balloon (which I have been meaning to do for a while :)

Previously, I had argued that (as long as the equities are calculated cubeful), the player to gain the first decisive (above the margin of calculation error) advantage for winning, would never lose that advantage...! (Assuming, of course, that the players are of equal checker and cube skills and they play four billion games;)

It's fascinating that supposedly very smart and educated people, who can concoct much more elaborate fantasies on cube skill, can't get this stupidly simple reality through their heads...(?:)

And now I'm gonna one up myself because my above previous argument/suggestion still left room enough for gambling (i.e. the difference between the actual equity/mwc and the increase in cube value by doubling in powers of two).

That is like reducing the "doubling window" (i.e. "gambling window") to a "doubling peep hole" but it's still there. :(

So, now, I'm gonna drive the last nail in and get rid of that too.

But before I do that, let's insert a paragraph of comment/clarification here about the question of whether backgammon can ever be "solved".

If you search RBG, you will find a few threads about the subject like this one, for example:

https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rec.games.backgammon/_H2YCOmhnDY/discussion

What needs to be clarified is that although they may assumingly have "cubeful backgammon" on their minds when they claim/argue that backgammon can never be solved, they are really talking about the "checker skill" part, (i.e. the classical/real backgammon), not being solvable.

Otherwise, "cubeful backgammon" can be solved very easily. And here is how:

Allow the usage of a "digital cube" and let players raise the value of the cube by an arbitrary value (with five decimal accuracy:)...!

As a foreplay into this extasy, let's take a quick look at the opening play rollouts at sites like:

http://www.bkgm.com/articles/page02.html#openings
http://www.bgonline.org/

Apparently "stick" is trying to go to the next level and working on the 3rd move rollouts. And remember that these are "cubeful!" rollouts.

While I'm not endorsing the bots' equity/mwc calculations or accept their accuracy, I'm willing to assume so for the sake of the argument here.

So, let's say that after the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. roll, Bot-A figures that it gained N% advantage of winning and raises the value of the "digital cube" by exactly that same N% (with five decimal accuracy).

Would Bot-B (having the same exact skills as Bot-A) take? Of course, not! Nor should any humanlings!!

Conclusion: No "cubeful" bg game should last longer than three rolls!!!

There you have it. This is how you kill "cubeful gambling" in backgammon. Allow the exercise of ultimately precise cube actions. Clear and simple.

And it will indeed "clear" backgammon from the "mentally ill gamblers" and whatever else garbage they bring along into this beautiful millennia old game... :)

All we need is a bot like gnubg, XG, etc. modified/improved to implement this level of cube skill and challenge any "mentally ill gamblers" to play "precise cubeful" games against it for money.

This is not a question of if but of who will when modify a bot to implement it. I'm sure a bright young computer programmer hyper puppy can tackle this ten times easier/faster than a lazy old dog.

I'm really optimistic about the future of the real, classic, truly skillful, "unsolvable", cleanly competitive and fun "cubeless! backgammon"...

MK